1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid ejection apparatus capable of ejecting an image-forming solvent properly onto an image recording material such as a light-sensitive material or an image-receiving material.
2. Description of the Related Art
Image-forming apparatuses, which record images by using two types of image-recording materials such as a light-sensitive material and an image-receiving material, are known.
An image-forming apparatus of this type comprises an image-forming solvent application section including a tank, for storing an image-forming solvent to be applied to the light-sensitive material. Further, the image-forming apparatus includes a thermal development-transfer section having a heating drum and an endless pressure belt adapted to rotate in pressure-contact with the outer periphery of the heating drum.
The light-sensitive material having an image exposed thereon is, while being held and conveyed in the image-forming apparatus, immersed in the water stored in a tank as an image-forming solvent is applied in the image-forming solvent application section. After water has been applied thereto, the light-sensitive material is sent to the thermal development-transfer section. The image-receiving material is also sent into the thermal development-transfer section in the same way as the light-sensitive material.
In the thermal development-transfer section, the light-sensitive material to which water has been applied is superposed with the image-receiving material, and the superposed light-sensitive material and image-receiving material are wound in close contact on the outer periphery of the heating drum. Further, the two materials are held and conveyed between the heating drum and the endless pressure belt to thermally develop the light-sensitive material. At the same time, the image is transferred to the image-receiving material so as to form (record) a predetermined image on the image-receiving material.
However, in a case in which a light-sensitive material is immersed and coated with water constituting an image-forming solvent in a tank, the water that has contacted the light-sensitive material continues to be held in the tank. As a result, bacteria propagate in the tank by using the organic material, which has slightly eluted from the light-sensitive material, as a source of nutrition. The water thus is liable to be contaminated, which may deteriorate the image-forming apparatus and image quality.
A possible solution to this drawback is to vibrate a nozzle plate in which nozzle holes are formed while keeping the water supplying elements such as the tank out of contact with the light-sensitive material, so that small water drops are ejected toward and applied onto the light-sensitive material. Mere ejection of water drops, however, would cause air bubbles entering into the nozzle holes to remain in vicinities of the nozzle holes, whereby the nozzle holes would be closed by the air bubbles such that water could not be ejected. As a result, water may not adhere to some portions of the light-sensitive material, thereby making it difficult to apply water uniformly onto the light-sensitive material.
An excessively thick nozzle plate, on the other hand, would increase the rigidity of the nozzle plate and reduce the amplitude of the nozzle holes, thereby leading to the disadvantage of unstable atomization. Further, workability would be deteriorated, making it difficult to form small nozzle holes of a uniform size.